Voice Game Developer Volley Acquires Gaming Studio Voxion
Volley, the developer of popular Alexa and Google Assistant voice games like Song Quiz and Yes Sire, has acquired fellow game studio Voxion for an undisclosed sum. Voxion is a leader in creating games for voice platforms that can connect to smartphones. Its acquisition will enable Volley to quickly expand its existing game lineup and upgrade future projects with Voxion’s technology.
Volley Voice
Voxion is a small startup, launched in 2018 when the founders were only 16. Since then, they’ve created several popular voice games playable by voice on smart displays, websites, and mobile devices, including Mutter Nonsense and Speak Easy. Volley teamed up with Voxion to create two games, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and Family Duel. By acquiring Voxion, Volley can augment its voice games with the visuals and multi-modal play that Voxion has specialized in.
“We’re excited to team up with the creative and highly-skilled team at Voxion, and look forward to releasing entertaining new titles at an even faster pace,” Volley CEO Max Child said in a statement. “As we continue investing in visual experiences, this integration of top-class visual voice design talent marks an important milestone for Volley as a company.”
Playful Sounds
Developers have become more ambitious with voice games of late. The COVID-19 pandemic keeping so many people home ensured there was plenty of opportunities to try out voice-enabled games, boosting their popularity. Volley has plenty of rivals testing out creative ideas on voice-enabled platforms. For instance, Earplay’s audio game The Orpheus Device lets players explore a haunted house and investigate ghosts solely by voice, while Pac-Man Waka Waka lets users command Pac-Man’s movement in a maze in his own language, Wakanese. There’s plenty of room for growth for any voice game developer, though, and the platforms are eager to cooperate. Both Amazon and Google have been streamlining how players find and start games and bringing them to new environments. Android Auto recently made it easier to play games in the car, and the Google Nest smart speakers and displays had a major update at the end of last year. Volley clearly sees the acquisition as a way of keeping up with the evolving voice game ecosystem.
“Volley is a leading and trusted pioneer in voice and we’re thrilled by the opportunity to create new compelling voice experiences together,” Voxion co-founder, and now Volley product manager Matthew Gillen said. “We firmly believe that voice will be the next big wave in content development, and Volley’s invaluable support and resources will help us reach new heights of interactivity together.”
Follow @voicebotai Follow @erichschwartz
Google Assistant Debuts New Smart Display Games and Interface
Voice Games with Doppio, Drive.fm, Matchbox.io, and Volley – Voicebot Podcast Ep 204
